Suicide is an urgent matter among U.S. military veterans, with the number of deaths increasing more than tenfold in the past 15 years. The rate among veterans with traumatic brain injuries is even higher, according to a recent study
To call attention to this dire crisis, veterans around the country are uniting as part of Veterans Standing Together Across America (VSTAA), a national initiative to raise awareness of brain health issues that contribute to veterans’ suicides.
Resurrecting Lives Foundation will launch VSTAA with the unveiling of an art exhibit, the Stand Together Flag, during a ceremony from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. This event is not open to the public, but the public will be able to see the flag when it tours Ohio next year. More details will be announced in January.
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U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Joe Pisano created the three-dimensional American flag from nearly 4,300 drywall screws surrounded by a frame bearing the signatures of veterans and their families.
The piece is a thank-you to veterans for their service and contributions and gives family members an opportunity to remember and honor their loved ones.
Following the Columbus unveiling, the Stand Together Flag will be rededicated at Pisano’s art studio in San Diego on Nov. 11 — Veterans Day — before going on tour.
Dublin-based Resurrecting Lives Foundation advocates for veterans with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in their communities, working with other organizations to help provide job training, career opportunities and other services to veterans with TBI, and assisting local hospitals and clinics to provide services and support to families and friends.
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According to the foundation’s website, TBI impacts 20% to 25% of the nearly 3.2 million returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in August found that in 2020, the suicide rate among U.S. veterans was 31.7 per 100, 000 — 57.3% greater than that of civilians, and that suicide was the second leading cause of death for veterans under the age of 45. Between 2000 and 2020, more than 460,000 servicemembers were diagnosed with TBI.
Though another report last year by the Department of Veterans Affairs found 2020’s suicide rate among veterans to be the lowest since 2006, the rates were still significantly higher than that of non-veterans, with nearly 17 vets taking their lives each day.